Michelle Shocked Roadworks 2026 Washington DC w/ Jay Byrd

Michelle Shocked returns with Bootleg This!—a defiant evening of songs, stories, resilience and artistic freedom. Forty years after the bootleg recording that unexpectedly launched her career, singer-songwriter, activist and uncompromising storyteller Michelle Shocked returns with Bootleg This!—a powerful new audio memoir and live performance. After a 13-year blacklist, Shocked is breaking the silence on her own terms. Part concert, part memoir and part act of defiance, the show fuses carefully selected songs with candid stories of artistic survival, media misadventures and the ongoing fight for creative ownership. Calm, confident and battle-tested, Shocked delivers every story and song with lethal focus—building toward a full-throated, air-punching celebration of resilience. “You can’t take the art out of the artist. Creative labor has value; stolen art has potent power.” “I knew it would work—I just didn’t know it would work so well.” “Michelle Shocked is a true trailblazer who knows how to play with fire.” — Rolling Stone Jay Byrd Jason “Jay” Byrd—an award-winning guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose Americana-rooted originals blend strong melodies, bluesy guitar work, and improvisational spirit. A veteran of Wavy Train, South Rail, and the DC-area roots scene, Jay has opened for Little Feat, Chely Wright, Cary Morin, Kevin Gordon, Caroline Rose, and more—and has shared stages with Steve Winwood, RatDog, String Cheese Incident, and others.